Tourists continue to flock across the ditch to New Zealand.
Stats NZ figures show more than 260 thousand overseas travellers visited in October, 22 thousand up on the year before.
More than 120 thousand came from Australia – a record October high.
Tourism Holdings CEO Grant Webster told Heather du Plessis-Allan that New Zealand is currently a cheap destination for Australian tourists when compared to places like the United States.
He says there’s also been strong marketing from Tourism New Zealand, which has been paying off.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode Transcript
More good news on the tourism front.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Arrivals are up six percent in the year to October,
so we're getting very close to three and a half
million visitors, which means we are now at ninety six
and a half percent of pre COVID levels, So tantalizingly close.
Grant Webster is the CEO of Tourism Holdings Limited.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Morning, Grant, good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Are you heartened by what you're seeing?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Oh? Very much? So. Yeah. Great for the economy, right,
and good for all the tourism industry.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Loads of assies coming over What is I mean, that's
basically a record.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
What is it that they're loving over here?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I think we are a cheap destination relative to America
and other locations at the moment, plus some very strong
marketing from tourism usual.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Oh so, do you think it's that weird ad? I
can't remember what the ad was, but you reckon that's
paying off.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Is it? Yeah? Look, you spend in that market and
you get good airline capacity and watch what happens now.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
China still seems to be a little bit of a
problem and we're around about half pre COVID level. Is
this just the new normal that we need? To get
used to the Chinese and not going to come back
in those numbers.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
No, I don't think so. I think it's just a
matter of time. So it was a lot later start.
You know, we had a few things from a visa
perspective that we had changed in calendar twenty four. That's
been rectified by the government in twenty five. The latest
change with allowing Australia visas in certain situations to flow
through for Chinese makes a big difference. Table was a
(01:26):
bigger list actually, So I think I think we're on
the right track now for China and we'll get back there.
The numbers will get back there.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
How how some are looking for you guys are busy as.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, really busy. So New Zealand will be somewhere around
twenty percent up in revenue over the summer period.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Great, yeah, brilliant stuff. Now.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I saw in the papers the other day you guys
are shutting down some manufacturing in Aussie and then you're
moving out over to Hamilton, which feels like the opposite
of what's happening in this country.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So what's brought that up?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I just mentioned before, Ozzies are coming here because we're
a cheaper destination where at the factors we're a cheaper
destination to manufacture, so our labor rates are cheaper, renters
cheaper dot dot dot so said reality for Australian manufacturing. Unfortunately,
the right thing for us to do.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Grant Listen.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Thanks very much appreciated, Grant Webster, CEO of Tourism Holdings Limited.
It was the everyone must go campaign, That's what it.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Was for more from the mic asking Breakfast Listen live
to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.